Hatcher entered the Silver Creek Spillway, a now defunct flood channel. Slanted walls enclosed the twenty feet wide concrete path and several overpasses provided shade from the weather for its residents.
After walking under two overpasses and several sections of what was known as box town, Hatcher approached the entrance to the spillway's drainage system, the opening to which was large enough to drive a bus through, and it was fenced over.
The elderly homeless woman resting against the fence smiled, "you're here—finally." The woman stood and took Hatcher's hand in hers.
"You were expecting me?" Hatcher said.
"Oh, yes! I'm so pleased to finally meet you. We've all heard so much about the one who faced Pan the demon and lived."
"Are you part of The Order?"
Every homeless person, including those under the overpasses, all the ones Hatcher had just walked past, stood in unison.
"We all are."
The woman faced the fence and held out her left palm, thumb extended, with her index and middle finger pointed up and connected. A symbol made of blue fire appeared in the air, slammed into the fence, and transformed into a tall doorway. The fence inside the doorway melted.
"You can enter. The Order welcomes Marie Hatcher with open arms."
Hatcher walked through the doorway and the fence that melted away, returned. She stood in the dark, expecting something else to happen, something magical to transform the sewer, But it was just a dark, wet pipe—with rats.
"Hi." Jade said.
"God, you scared the piss out of me!"
Jade laughed. "I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention."
"You're the lady that took me to that church. Jade, right?"
"So much has happened since then. Shall we walk while we talk? That night, I warned you about facing Pan before you were ready. Many of my sisters didn't like your cavalier attitude, and some were against us reaching out to you again. But your victory over Pan won them over."
"I wouldn't call it a victory. I'm under investigation by internal affairs about what happened. I'm about to be fired—or arrested for murder. That fucking babysitter set the whole thing up."
"Everything will be alright. It's all part of God's plan."
"You say that now. Wait until I'm not getting paid anymore. I'll have to move in to box town, which apparently is part of The Order?"
"Recent events have forced us to come together. They are the gate watchers. Our first line of defense for when the demon arrives. And he WILL arrive. It's just a matter of time. It is war, my dear. And we need a sigil weaver now more than ever—lest this Order become the last."
"Ok—no pressure then."
"The time has come, Marie. Are you ready to begin your training?"
"Like I have a choice."
"You always have a choice. If you want to leave from here and carry on as if none of this exists, you are welcome to do so."
"I didn't really mean that. In case you haven't noticed, I don't have a filter for this mouth, so I kind of just say what I'm thinking. Which is why I curse all the time. We haven't really talked about that. Cursing is a sin, so is pretty much everything else I do, and to be honest, I have zero plans to quit any of it. The smoking..."
"Marie?"
"Drinking."
"Marie?" Jade smiled.
"And the sex. I don't plan on getting baptized."
YOU ARE READING
The Last Order | Requiem 2
ParanormalDetectives Marie Hatcher and Michael Jerico survived their encounter with Pan, but now they find themselves without their jobs and subjects of a murder investigation. Michael Jerico saw something that day, something that caused him to begin his jour...
